The Jewel of Faramore Shines Bright: Arzette is a Must-Play Adventure

When I was asked to play Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore, I wasn’t sure what I should expect. I saw the CDi animations in the game’s trailer video and knew I was going to fall in love with it, because if you remember the CDi or, more specifically, a certain CDi game that I will not say, you know you are in for a treat.

In Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore, you play as Princess Arzette, the Kingdom of Faramore’s sole hope, as she sets out on a mission to vanquish the evil Daimur, who has returned after ten years of peace. You guide Arzette as she explores various areas, interacts with quirky individuals, solves puzzles, and fights enemies.

When it came to the game’s graphics, I loved how it transitioned from 2D and peculiar cutscenes. Some may argue that the cutscene graphics are terrible, but as someone who grew up in the era of CDi and old Windows 95 games, I thought they were fantastic. Yes, the cutscenes are over the top, and I love how the voice actors exaggerated their lines, and I was immediately transported back to those old days. Klive, pictured above, is certainly one of my favorite characters so far because of all the puns he made before his combat.

The game has two game modes: Normal Mode, which does not provide any health drops as you play. Then comes Casual Mode, which weakens the foes and drops health items. To be honest, I played both modes, and Normal mode did not appear to be significantly more difficult; as previously said, the only difference is that foes do not drop health items. So, for a more relaxed experience, I decided to play Casual Mode for my stream series.

You can play the game on a PC with a keyboard, an Xbox controller, or a DualShock controller. It does recommend using DualShock with a USB cord, however, I discovered that the controls lagged when plugged in. However, you can play with the DualShock without the USB, In my playthrough, my controller kept turning off, which I chalked up to the controller not being fully charged.

Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore does a fantastic job of fusing the platformer and Metroidvania genres. Although the levels aren’t particularly long, you must return to them frequently to advance the story. It was great that a traditional Metroidvania map wasn’t used. I also enjoyed the fact that you had to go back and discover objects and passageways on each level. Therefore, having a non-traditional map helps this process. Even though I played the same level multiple times because I didn’t have the best memory, I still enjoyed that it was replayable.

It’s also important to keep in mind that, in addition to Arzette’s goal, you can aid other people in side quests. By doing so, you can obtain goods that will aid you on your quest, which contributes to the game’s replayability.

Overall, Arzette proves to be resourceful and capable, defying the conventional princess stereotype, its nonlinear exploration, right down to its humor and charm. Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore is an excellent game that everyone should play. I wholeheartedly recommend playing Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore. If you want to play Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore, you’ll be glad to know that it’s available on PC via Steam, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, and Xbox for $19.99 USD.